The story of the 1957 general election in the words of then Chief Minister Sardar Gurcharan Singh
A month before campaigning through newspapers and television, there was little time to convey this message to the people. He came to Sindri from Chandigarh at the age of 20. He was a foreman in a fertilizer company. In 1957 he served as Chief Officer in the Second General Election. People don't know about elections. Earlier, most of the people didn't even know about next week's polling… There was no communication among the common man. It was only through the leaders that the public knew when to vote. Prabhat Khabar while talking to the reporter gave detailed information about the previous and current elections. Gurucharan Singh said that intensive public relations campaign was the only way to take the message of the leaders to the people in the general elections. Now candidates get months to cast their votes, but earlier 10 days was enough. Election results will take several days. A month before the completion of election work, traffic was disrupted. Along with this, the additional burden of election expenses on the public has increased. Even when conducting elections, it was very difficult to transport many machines with ballot papers to remote locations and deliver them safely after conducting the elections. He said newspapers and television made it easier for candidates to campaign. Candidates got some relief in the election campaign. But with the advent of electronic voting machines, it has become easier to conduct elections and conduct them securely. The results started coming soon. He said the country has also benefited economically from the digital process over time. What were the methods of advertising in the 60s? For publicity, candidates today have the convenience of campaigning with loudspeakers, but in the 60s, people went to each other's homes and appealed to them to vote by saying their election symbol. NCC cadets' help for peaceful elections are currently trying to conduct peaceful elections using Police, CRPF, Army etc. across the country. Still, something happens somewhere and the services of NCC cadets are taken to conduct peaceful elections. Also read: Dhanbad Lok Sabha: Silent voters in Dhanbad raise candidate tension, The post The story of 1957 general elections, then Chief Minister Sardar Gurcharan Singh.